Majority of Americans say Iraq war a mistake

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - For the first time since the start of the war in Iraq, a majority of Americans now say the U.S.-led invasion
was a mistake, according to a USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll.

Amid continuing violence in Iraq and questions about the justification
for the war, 54 percent of the 1,005 Americans polled said it was a mistake to send U.S. troops into Iraq, compared with 41 percent
who held that view three weeks ago.

The findings mark on Thursday the first time since Vietnam that a majority of Americans has
called a major deployment of U.S. forces a mistake, USA Today reported on its Web site.

In addition, the poll found that for the
first time a majority also said the war in Iraq has made the United States less safe from terrorism.

Fifty-five percent said the
war has increased U.S. vulnerability, compared to a December poll in which 56 percent said the war made the United States
safer.

The war's original justification was to stop Iraq deploying weapons of mass destruction. None have been fou nd.

U.S.
President George W. Bush has also said the Iraq mission would make America safer by bringing democracy to a key country in the
Middle East.

In Iraq on Thursday, insurgents killed about 100 people in a wave of attacks across the country aimed at sabotaging
next week's transfer of power to an interim Iraqi government.

In the new poll, 60 percent of respondents
said they believe the Massachusetts Democrat could handle the job of commander-in-chief, but most Americans indicated they trust
Bush more in that role, 51 percent to 43 percent.

The survey, conducted Monday through Wednesday, has a margin of error of plus or
minus three percentage points.